His poetry is typically very accessible, grounded in nouns and verbs and everyday events. Probably for that reason, he has been compared to Robert Frost. A friend of mine once said Collins seemed too accessible, but that was after one of his readings. His poems may sound or appear simple at first, but take on richer meanings on closer examination. Common themes in the poems--underneath the everyday facades--include mortality, love, some politics, and the mysterious attachments people form to particular places and to each other. Also, he is hilarious.